


Fragile

by BehindTheRobinsMask



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Under the Red Hood
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Eventual Romance, First Kiss, First Meetings, Flirting, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Self-Esteem Issues, lots and lots of flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-23 00:10:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17672702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BehindTheRobinsMask/pseuds/BehindTheRobinsMask
Summary: Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, two lost souls who meet unexpectedly and find everything they'd been looking for in each other.





	Fragile

**Author's Note:**

> I'm terrible at tagging and summaries.

**i.**

Richard Grayson was used to being watched. He was a performer that flew into the sky, a feat that so few humans could perform. When his body contorted in the air, limbs twisting, back arching, all eyes were on him. They stared at him with awe, jealousy, and disbelief. They wanted to be like him, they wondered if he was even real. For a while, he was the unreachable dream, the boy who was too beautiful, too graceful to be real. Yet, all it took was one snap to show the world his humanity.

Richard Grayson – Wayne was used to being watched but it didn’t mean that he liked it. While he flashed the brightest smile for the cameras, he wanted nothing more than to hide in the confines of his room and wait for the day when the world would forget he existed. The boy who loved being the center of attention had grown up and now he wished that he could simply be a stranger that no one could recognize. He so desperately wished that people would see him for he who he was instead of Bruce Wayne’s charity case, the orphan boy who lost everything and was then adopted by a millionaire.

Life could have been worse. He could have ended up in a home where no one loved him. Yet, he couldn’t loosen the invisible noose around his neck that tightened every time the paparazzi’s of Gotham hunted him down.

“Dickie come dance!” Wally, Dick’s oldest and closest friend called, his cheeks as red as his hair, eyes unfocused.

Dick smiled at the redhead, carefully peeling off his fingers that gripped his arm and shook his head. “I’m fine here. Maybe you should get some water,” he calmly suggested.

Wally stared at him for a bit, as if trying to comprehend what he had just said and then looked at someone or something standing behind Dick. “Great idea. Another drink it is!”

Any other day, Dick would have stopped Wally, today he just watched him stumble around in amusement. While the redhead had a high tolerance for alcohol, he simply didn’t know when to stop, drinking to the point where he couldn’t remember what happened the night before.

Taking a swig of his beer, Dick grimaced at the bitter taste. Years had passed but he could never get used to alcohol, drinking only when he was needed to. Never enough to be intoxicated.

With one glance across the bar, taking note of where his friends were, Dick slipped out, needing fresh air. He wandered down the empty street a bit until he found a bench. Taking a seat, Dick looked up at the Bludhaven skyline, searching for stars that were hidden behind the smoke that polluted the city. Any other day, he wouldn’t come to Haven considering the place was in worse shape than Gotham but today was different. It was his birthday and his brother Tim had granted his one wish of being in a place where no one knew him. Him and Dick’s friends had dragged Dick to the best bar in Haven, neon lights flashing over sweaty bodies that danced against one another. It was a chance for Dick to cut back and relax but he couldn’t. Even though he was loved, there was a terrible loneliness that had followed him since he was a child and never let him go.

Leaning against the cool metal of the bench, Dick closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Sooner or later, someone would notice he was missing and he wasn’t ready to go back inside and pretend to be fine.

Dick sighed, only for the sound to echo and his eyes snapped open. A few steps away from him, stood a man, taking in the Bludhaven skyline and sighing just as he was. Sapphire eyes met turquoise, a mix of surprise and confusion passing between them until Dick looked away to take in the man’s features.

With a chiseled face, high cheekbones and eyes that were somewhere between blue and green, the stranger was breathtaking. His black hair was cut short on the sides, parted to the side with a tuft of it dyed white. On anyone else, that style would have looked ridiculous but this stranger seemed to pull it off with ease and confidence, his black pants, leather jacket and boots adding to the look. Not to mention how tall and well-built he was.

“If you stare anymore, I might have to charge you,” the stranger said, snapping Dick out of his daze and he looked away, cheeks burning.

“I-I didn’t mean to,” Dick stammered through his apology. Now would be a good time for the ground to split open and swallow him whole

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Instead, the stranger grinned and plopped down on the bench, next to Dick and silently took a sip of his beer, the air around them becoming awkward. Dick wondered if it was time to disappear. But before he could, the stranger turned his attention towards him, holding out his hand. “I’m Jason,” he introduced.

“Dick—I mean, Richard Grayson but everyone calls me Dick,” he said shaking Jason’s hand.

“Is it because of your shitty personality?” Jason asked, face serious and Dick stared at him for a bit.

“What?” he started but then realization dawned on him just as a grin broke out on Jason’s face. “You’re so original. Have you considered a career in comedy?”

“Once or twice but I don’t think the world is ready for the storm that is Jason Todd.”

Dick raised his brows and gave Jason an amused look. “You’re so humble.”

“It’s one of my best qualities.” Jason grinned. “So what’s a pretty boy like you doing out here, Dickie?”

“The whole bar thing wasn’t really my scene,” Dick answered but that was a lie.

He loved dancing almost as much as he loved flying. With his eyes closed and music humming through his veins, Dick could forget everything for a while. He could move with freedom, worries vanishing as he got lost in the lyrics that filled his ears.

But Jason didn’t need to know that. Not yet.

“Then what is your scene?” Jason asked, getting up.

“A movie marathon with the cheesiest pizza,” Dick hummed, finishing his drink.

Jason hummed as he stood in front of Dick, a smirk on his face. “Well Dickie, I can’t give you a movie marathon but I can bring you the best pizza Haven has to offer,” he said, holding out his hand.

And maybe Dick had one too many beers to drink because, without a second thought, his took Jason’s hand, following the lead of a man he had known for a few minutes. To his delight, even after he got up, Jason didn’t let go of his hand and instead, intertwined their fingers.

Dick couldn’t help but moan as he took a bite out of his pizza slice, eyes closing as the cheesy goodness melted on his tongue. When he opened them, he found Jason staring at him, startled. “What?”

Jason shook his head and picked up a slice for himself. “Get a room,” he said and Dick shoved him playfully.

“You’re just jealous that I love this pizza more than you.”

“Damn Dickie, we’ve barely made it through our first date and you’re already breaking out the L word. Moving a bit fast don’t you think?” Jason joked and any other time, Dick would have a retort ready but right now, his mind was focused on something else. “So this is a date, huh?” he asked.

Jason’s eyes met his and for a minute, Dick forgot how to breathe. “It can be whatever you want it to be, pretty boy.”

Dick smiled to himself, feeling his cheeks heat up as he turned his attention to his pizza. “A date it is then.”

“Then you wouldn’t mind me asking for your number.”

“What makes you think this isn’t a one-time thing?” Dick asked teasingly, pulling out his phone from his jacket’s pocket.

Jason smirked as he leaned in, turquoise eyes looking down at Dick with an emotion that he couldn’t place, one that made a shiver run down his spine, skin tingling as Jason’s fingers brushed against his hand to take his phone. “Because you know you’d regret letting things end here.”

And Dick couldn’t help but agree.

 

**ii.**

When he was eleven years old, running through the streets of Crime Alley with bread he had stolen, Jason learned that life was a bitch. It was cruel and unforgiving, ready to ruin everyone and everything. Rich or poor, good or bad, it didn’t matter. If you were breathing, you were one inhale away from a decision that could plunge you into the depths of darkness with no way out. Those who could cope with the sudden changes found a way to stay happy while others did what they could to survive. Jason fell in the latter.

With a father that was never home and a mother who wasn’t mentally there, he did what he could to take care of himself and the one parent that at least gave him company, even if she was too lost in a high. That was until even she left him behind, making Jason wonder who he was trying for any more. But despite the loneliness, the constant hits to his self-worth, Jason kept breathing, if not for himself then for the memory of a mother who at some point loved him dearly.

Now at age 22, he had finally seen the world outside of Crime Alley, the beauty of Gotham that he never had a second to appreciate. With a steady job, one that he actually liked and an apartment that wasn’t falling apart, Jason had left his past behind but the memories of that still seemed to be haunting him, making him wary of the people around him. While life had always taken from him, it had given him something that he couldn’t escape, a dreadful feeling that he would never be enough for the people around him.

And so Jason never invested in friends or relationships, knowing that they couldn’t possibly last. He was better off alone. At least, that way it wouldn’t hurt when he was left behind.

Well, that was until a co-worker named Roy - one who didn’t get the hint that Jason didn’t want to be friends - dragged him to Bludhaven for his friend’s birthday celebration. Jason had expected to be bored by the time the celebration ended but instead, he stepped outside to clear his thoughts and found himself staring into a pair of sapphire eyes.

 

“I’m telling you, Jay, cereal is the best meal ever,” Dick argued, completely serious.

Jason snorted and shook his head. “Cereal doesn’t pass as a meal, Dickie,” he said, having a hard time believing that the man sitting before him was older than him even though he acted like a complete child.

After meeting accidentally a week ago, Jason and Dick had been talking to each other constantly via text, something Jason hadn’t expected. Well, he hadn’t expected himself to ask Dick out the way that he did but this whole situation was even more surreal. With most people, Jason wasn’t this friendly or flirty. He kept his answers short and to the point, letting everyone know that he wasn’t interested in talking but with Dick, he was always looking for ways to keep the conversation going, not ready to say goodbye.

Somehow, between a mundane argument over Jason and his capacity to tolerate Dick’s puns, they had made plans to meet up when they were both free. So, now, here Jason was, sitting in a diner and staring at Dick as he explained why he loved cereal so much. With someone else, Jason would have walked away half way through but with Dick, all he could do was listen and notice the way his blue eyes shimmered and the way he ran his fingers through his wavy hair.

“Cereal can be anything you want it to be.” Dick crossed his arms, pouting like a child.

“Now I’m wondering if cereal is all you eat,” Jason muttered and Dick froze in his seat.

He stared at Jason for a bit before looking away, cheeks turning red and Jason realized that what he said was right. The man sitting before him, the one with legs to die for, wearing a shirt that could pass as a second skin and showed off his muscles was surviving on a diet of sugary cereal.

“You really have to eat better, Dickie,” Jason started, ready to lecture Dick about his horrible eating habits when he was cut off.

“I do take care of myself. It’s just that cooking is hard and most of the time, after work, I don’t have the strength to even order take out,” Dick explained but Jason wasn’t really convinced.

Dick was part of the Gotham police force, working there as a detective and from what Jason had heard, he was pretty damn good at his job though that led to some tension between him and his adoptive father. Jason wasn’t so sure about the details because Dick didn’t like talking about the man named Bruce Wayne, a name that Jason had heard about a lot on the news. While Dick constantly sent Jason pictures of his siblings and cried about how much he loved them, Bruce was a topic he avoided and Jason wasn’t one to pry.

“When was the last time you had a home-made meal?” Jason asked and Dick fell silent, losing himself to his thoughts and that really wasn’t a good sign. If he couldn’t even remember when he had a proper meal then he didn’t have one recently. “I guess I’ll just have to cook for you someday,” he found himself saying.

As the words left his mouth, Jason froze because he didn’t know why he had just offered that. He had already thrown his rule about keeping his distance from people down the drain but now he was actively trying to get hurt by inviting himself to Dick’s house? He was getting too close and that scared Jason.

However, before he could begin panicking, Dick cut into his thoughts by clapping his hands together and looking at Jason as if he were an angel sent from heaven.

“I would love that, Jay,” he said excitedly.

And as Dick smiled at him, teeth showing and face lighting up, Jason couldn’t remember why he had been afraid to begin with.

 

**iii.**

When he was a child, Dick thought that he would spend his life flying. Even if the rush of being one with the wind lasted only for a few seconds, it was worth every second and he never wanted this to end. But then, with a snap, everything had changed. Dick’s life lost direction.

While he was still flying, his adoptive father being kind enough to provide him with everything he needed to spread his wings, it wasn’t the same. At the circus, he used to soar with his family, knowing that they were always by his side. Without them, he was a lonely bird, left behind to stare at a sky waiting for the sun to rise. But it never did.

“Grayson, are you listening to me?” Damian asked, eyes narrowed into a glare.

“Always, little D. Since Alfred is on vacation, you feel it’s better to go out for lunch because you don’t trust me when it comes to cooking,” Dick repeated everything his youngest brother had said. “But I’ll let you know that you’re wrong and that I happen to be an excellent cook,” he added with a pout.

“Oh really? When was the last time you cooked anything?” Tim asked, finally looking up from his phone.

Dick frowned as he thought about Tim’s question, trying to remember the last time he had turned on his kitchen stove but nothing came to mind. All he could remember was looking for a box of cereal and a clean bowl to eat in. Maybe Jason was right. He needed to eat better but at least now, the younger man would cook for him. In the end, his love for cereal brought something good into his life.

“Why are you smiling like a fool?” Damian asked, snapping Dick out of his thoughts.

Smile still on his face, Dick just shook his head and ruffled Damian’s hair, the younger protesting. “It’s nothing.”

“Or it’s Pizza Guy,” Tim added.

“Tt, Pizza guy?”

“You know, the guy who was so hot that Dick ditched us at the bar and went to eat pizza with him,” Tim reminded and Dick rolled his eyes.

Ever since his disappearance that day, his brother had not let him forget what he had done.

“And what happens to be this Pizza Guy’s real name?” Damian turned his attention to Dick who just laughed nervously.

“So lunch anyone?” he asked, changing the topic.

Thankfully, his brothers let it go.

 

Or so he had thought.

Sitting in a diner, Dick placed the menu between him and his brothers so they couldn’t see his face turn red with all the questions they were asking him. Not that there was anything wrong with what they said. It was just his mind that refused to stay on topic. His thoughts wandered, making him think about things that were bound to never happen. After all, Jason was too good looking for him to not have anyone in his life. He was sure that there was someone who had the privilege to kiss those plump lips, to cup his cheeks and stare into turquoise eyes while running their fingers through his soft hair—

_Stop. Stop. STOP._

“I do not understand why you can’t just answer us, Grayson.” Damian snatched the menu, annoyed.

“I mean, I kinda get why you wouldn’t wanna tell the demon brat because no one wants him to do a background check of their friends.” Tim smirked and Damian turned his glare towards him.

“Why you--”

“Now, now, boys. We talked about fighting in public,” Dick intervened before his brothers started battling each other with forks and butter knives. He didn’t need a repeat of last week. “Damian, I’ll be sure to tell you all about my new friend, just not yet. Tim, why are you not supposed to call Damian a demon?”

“Because it’s offensive to the devil?”

“Tim!”

As his two brothers broke out into another argument, throwing insults at one another, Dick just gave up and groaned, covering his face. Thankfully, there weren’t many people at the diner today and definitely no paparazzi. The whole of Gotham didn’t need to see his brothers fighting each other like animals on the front page of the newspaper.

Everything was fine till the two were just insulting one another, going for friends, social lives and talents but then things escalated. Damian grabbed a spoon, Tim grabbed a fork, both pulling back their arms to throw and Dick slammed the table in frustration. “That’s enough!” he screamed, startling his brothers and the two men who just walked into the diner.

Two men who just happened to be his friend Roy and Jason of all people.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the spoon Damian had been aiming at Tim hit Dick straight in the forehead, his brother having released it when Dick screamed.

And of course, everyone had something to say about the incident.

Damian. “Grayson, that wasn’t meant for you!”

Tim. “This is why I insist on leaving the brat at home.”

Roy. “Well, you didn’t get to see this every day.”

Jason. “Dickie, you okay?”

“I hate my life,” Dick groaned, flopping onto his seat and massaging his forehead.

A warm hand clasped his shoulder and Dick turned to find Jason looking at him with concerned eyes. “Not your day huh?” he asked with a small smile and Dick shook his head.

“But you’re here so it’s bound to get better.” He grinned and Jason rolled his eyes.

“Always the shameless flirt, Dickie,” he said, amused.

Unfortunately, the small moment between them was broken because of the stares from his brothers and Roy, all of them had questions he wasn’t ready to answer.

“Scoot over brats,” Roy said and Damian glared at him, not liking the redhead (well, he didn’t like any of Dick’s friends) but Tim pulled the younger boy towards himself, making room for the older.

“Uh, I guess we’re joining you?” Jason asked, looking uncertain and ready to bolt.

“You guessed right, Jaybird. Now have a seat!” Roy grinned and there was something about that smile that made Dick want to run away with Jason. This couldn’t possibly end well.

Reluctantly, Jason sat down next to Dick, both of them sharing nervous smiles under the three stares aimed at them.

“So, you two know each other?” Roy asked and Dick nodded.

“Yeah.” He kept his answer short, not wanting to give away any more details and hoping that the topic would be dropped.

“How?” Damian asked, glaring at Jason and Dick knew this was not going to end well.

“Uh… we met each other a few days ago when Roy dragged me to Bludhaven,” Jason answered, his eyes on Damian, clearly weirded out by the scowl on the thirteen-year old’s face.

The smile on Roy’s face turned into a shit-eating grin, showing off all his teeth, eyes glimmering with mischief. “Well, well, aren’t you both just lucky to have me in your lives.”

“A little too full of yourself, aren’t you Roy?” Dick snorted but Roy’s smile didn’t waver.

“You say that now Dickie but you wouldn’t have met Jaybird if I hadn’t dragged him to your birthday party that day.”

Dick stared at Roy for a while as he remembered his friend asking if he could bring someone. He had said something about a new worker who had recently started the job and barely spoke to anyone.

“You’re the anti-social hottie?” Dick asked turning towards Jason just as the other turned towards him.

“You’re blue eyes with an ass to die for?” he asked.

Then both their faces turned red as they realized they had used Roy’s nicknames, out loud.

“Oh my god, is this second-hand embarrassment I feel?” Tim asked, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

Dick was ready for the ground to just swallow him whole.

“By the way,” Jason whispered, leaning in close so that no one could hear him but Dick. “Roy wasn’t wrong when he said you had an ass to die for.”

And it was at that moment, Dick felt his soul leave his body.

 

**iv.**

Growing up on his own, Jason had learned not to expect anything from the people around him. With an ever-changing mind, for a person, their first priority was themselves. Not the woman they were married to or the child left behind at home, starving not just for food but also for love and affection. People had a way of letting him down, even when he expected nothing from them. But Jason was a pessimist, always prepared for the worst and so it was easier to forget the ones who left him behind, even if the pain of being abandoned never really went away.

Laying on his worn out couch, he scrolled through his phone, staring at the pictures of a certain blue-eyed male with a radiant smile. It wasn’t in Jason’s nature to go through someone’s social media profile. Hell, it wasn’t in his nature to invest so much time in someone, yet, here he was, spending all his free time either talking to Dick or thinking about him. And the afternoon he spent with him, being grilled by Roy and Dick’s younger brothers had somehow made their connection stronger.

Now, here Jason was, wondering if how he had been lucky enough to have found someone like Dick Grayson. After all, the older male was beautiful, inside and out. Jason couldn’t understand why Dick was wasting his time on someone like him but he wasn’t going to question it. He was afraid that if he did, Dick would realize all the reasons why he didn’t need Jason and walk away.

Jason was just about to close Instagram when his phone started buzzing, the picture that Dick had placed for his contact appearing on screen and startling him.

“Shit.” Grabbing his phone that had slipped out of his hand, Jason sat upright and hit the answer button. “Hey, Dickie.”

_“Hiya Jay. Whatchu doing?”_ Dick’s voice came, holding a hint of amusement.

Jason’s brows furrowed at that tone, eyes narrowing. “Nothing interesting.”

_“Are you sure?”_ Dick asked, definitely grinning.

“What’s going on, Dickie?” Jason asked and Dick let out a giggle that made him a little nervous.

_“Oh, Jay. You’re really so adorable,”_ Dick said in between giggles. _“When you were going through my Instagram, you ended up liking a pretty old picture by mistake. Not that I mind or anything.”_

Of course, he had done something so stupid without even realizing. Burying his face in his free hand, Jason whispered a string of curses, groaning when Dick burst out laughing.

_“Come on, it’s not so bad.”_ Dick laughed and Jason could only roll his eyes.

“You say that because you didn’t get caught while stalking.”

_“I’m just good at covering my tracks.”_

“My, my, Mr. Grayson. Are you telling me that you might be a stalker as well?” Jason asked, his embarrassment forgotten as Dick pulled him into a whole other conversation.

_“I might have a certain Instagram profile open right now, Mr. Todd. But you’ll never know,”_ Dick whispered. There was something about the other’s voice that made heat pool in his stomach, heart hammering in his chest.

“You like what you see?” Jason asked and almost instantly regretted the question. Why in the world would Dick Grayson with his sapphire blue eyes, athletic body, and breathtaking smile find anything about Jason Todd good looking? Somehow without even knowing it, he had set himself for rejection.

_“Well, Mr. Todd,”_ Dick suddenly started, breaking into Jason’s thoughts with his silky voice. _“I like what I see. So much that I really, really want to kiss you right now.”_

Jason’s breath caught in his throat and he gulped, tongue running over his lips. He was afraid. There was no denying it. Jason didn’t engage in conversations like these. Yeah, he had his fair share of one night stands but there had never been a connection. There had never been a need to know everything about the other person, to cherish and to hold because doing so meant opening himself up to the possibility of getting hurt. And Jason was so tired of being hurt. It was easier to keep people at an arm’s length, to never get involved.

_“Jason?”_ Dick called out, voice laced with worry.

Taking in a deep, shaky breath, Jason smiled. “Who’s stopping you, Boy Wonder?” he asked, almost hearing Dick’s smile.

_“I’ll see you in fifteen at our diner.”_

Shoving his phone in his pocket, Jason got to his feet and headed towards the door. It was easier to be on his own, to not be vulnerable but with Dick, he was willing to give things a try.

He was ready to let someone in.

 

**v.**

Ever since he was young, Dick had always been cautious around people, knowing he couldn’t afford to let his guard down. Being a millionaire’s ward meant that most people only wanted to get close to him because of his connections or the money he could spend on them. Then there were those who were after nothing more than what his body could offer them, very few wanting to know the man inside.

And while his meeting with Jason had been anything but normal, their connection had been instant. It would have been natural for him to doubt the younger, to be wary of his intentions but when Jason smiled all, every worry disappeared, putting Dick at ease.

Rushing down the sidewalk, Dick could hear his heart beating out of control, thumping in his ears as Jason’s words haunted his mind. He walked as fast as he could, not wanting to be a second late. But there was a voice in the back of his head, one that warned him about Jason. It whispered that the younger wouldn’t show up, that he was simply playing Dick and this was just an elaborate scheme to humiliate the rich boy. Dick did his best to ignore the voice, the anxiety seeping into his veins, considerably slowing down his steps.

But then, in the distance, he saw a familiar and that small annoying voice seemed to disappear.

Sapphire eyes met turquoise and before Dick knew, his body was moving on its own, arms reaching out towards Jason. Warmth surrounded his body as Jason’s arms wrapped around his waist and he nestled his face in the crook of the younger’s neck, inhaling his scent.

“To be honest, I don’t understand how we got here, Dickie,” Jason whispered, a slight tremble in his voice.

Dick pulled back enough to get a look at Jason’s face and smiled. “To be honest, I don’t know either. But I don’t mind it. Do you?” he asked and hoped that Jason would stay.

“Not at all,” Jason answered, eyes full of warmth.

“Good, good because it’s okay if you’re not ready. I wouldn’t want to push.” Dick started to ramble. “I mean I know I was being really forward on the call and the last thing-”

“Dick.” Jason cut him off.

“Yeah?”

“Shut up and kiss me.”

Dick chuckled as Jason leaned down, meeting his lips halfway and lost himself to the softest kiss he had ever experienced, knowing that they would be alright.

**Author's Note:**

> Firstly, thank you so much for reading my shitty work. This is my first DC work so I'm pretty nervous about putting it out here. Honestly, I didn't even think I'd ever get to finishing it which might be why it feels a bit rushed but I hope to do better in the future. I adore my Robins and batgirls and in the future would love to do more work related to them. 
> 
> Let me know what you guys think?


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